Franklin recognized for water conservation efforts

Thursday

Apr 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By Matt TotaDaily News Staff

FRANKLIN — The state Department of Environmental Protection has recognized the town for its water conservation efforts.Next month, at a ceremony in Sharon, Franklin will receive the state’s Water Conservation Award, given each year to the city or town that has done the most to reduce its overall water consumption.Yvette DePeiza, director of the DEP's Drinking Water Program, applauded the town in a letter to Franklin’s public works director for its "exemplary water conservation practices.""Conserving our drinking water to ensure we have enough water for future generations and to minimize impacts to our water resources is a major initiative we must all undertake," DePeiza wrote. "It is our belief that public water systems going above and beyond what is required should be recognized for their endeavors."The award also recognizes the town’s adherence to the Massachusetts Water Management Act of 1986, which implemented new restrictions on water use.The act imposed limits on the amount of water that towns could withdraw and established a permitting system through MassDEP for water systems that seek to withdraw more than 100,000 gallons a day.MassDEP spokesman Edmund Coletta said the department will announce the full list of this year’s Public Water Systems Awards winners next month. Other categories include energy conservation and water source protection.Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting said the designation is an example of the Town Council’s forward-thinking approach to water consumption and the public works department’s inventive strategies.A little more than a decade ago, Nutting said, the town would have been the last community thought of for a water conservation award."We were the poster child for bad water consumption," he said.But new restrictions and improvements to the water system have changed that."We probably pump a half a million gallons less than we did 10 years ago," he said. "We’ve reduced our sewer inflow by 600,000 gallons; that was clean, fresh water that used to go into the sewer plant."Matt Tota can be reached at 508-634-7521 or mtota@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattTotaMDN.